Spring 2018 Is Looking To Bring More Precipitation Than Average, Could Translate To Snowy End To Winter

The National Weather Service released their spring outlook for March, April, and May, and it doesn't look like it will be particularly cold necessarily, but it could be snowy/wet. the long range forecast shows, in general terms, a trend for average temperatures to end the winter season and open up springtime, but above normal precipitation is expected to come with it.

As you can see in the maps below from the National Weather Service (via their Facebook page), the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest have an increased chance of seeing cooler than normal temperatures (noted in blue), while the Upper Midwest have an equal chance of temperatures above or below average (shown in white). Much of the southern and eastern parts of the country, however, has a probability of warmer than normal conditions (shown in oranges and reds).

Precipitation-wise, Many of the northern states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, can expect a slightly better chance to see higher than normal precipitation amounts. The highest likelihood of this occurring is in Montana as well as through Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and through the Northeastern States.

The National Weather Service does point out that this basically means there's no clear indication to what we can expect temperature-wise in the Twin Ports region, but there is a possibility we could see more snow and/or rain through the next three months. They do point out in their Facebook post that snow averages for this time period are between 5 and 30 inches for our area. If this forecast for above normal precipitation holds true, there's a good chance we could see more as we move through the rest of the cold weather months of this season.